Fanning’s got the moves like Jagger

World Champion Mick Fanning stretching before a surf. Source: Supplied

GRACE under pressure helped secure him his third world crown and now Mick Fanning has revealed he is studying the moves of gymnasts and dancers for hints on how to keep his body fluid, flexible and strong enough to continue winning world crowns.

Fanning is renowned for his fitness and flexibility, spending quality time stretching before heats and limbering up at events.

It has kept his body strong enough to handle the rigours of World Tour surfing and in the condition required for him to win a fourth world title.

"The body feel really good.,'' said Fanning at the Quiksilver Pro which is expected to resume at Snapper Rocks today after three lay days due to poor conditions.

"The last few years I have been loose pretty free of injuries. I'm loose and moving well which is always a good thing.

"I look to a lot of different sports for inspiration, including dancing and gymnastics. It's just incredible how flexible they are. And strong.''

Fanning is kicking off his campaign for a fourth world crown in the opener of the ASP World Tour, the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast.

Fanning winning through to the third round at Snapper Rocks. Source: News Corp Australia

After losing his opening round, Fanning found form in the sudden-death second heat to book a spot against dangerous American Dane Reynolds in the third round of the annual event.

The 32-year-old local admits there is pressure to perform at his home break at Snapper Rocks.

"Joel (Parkinson) and myself and everyone from here, we put the pressure on ourselves,'' Fanning said. "You always want to do radially well at home. you always want to make people proud."

Fanning is a two-time winner of the Gold Coast event (2005, 2007) with Parkinson winning with his Quiksilver Pro titles in 2002 and 2009.

The last four Quiksilver Pro crowns have been split between American legend Kelly Slater (2011, 2013) and Australian Taj Burrow (2010, 2012).

Both men are still in the competition.

If competition resumes at Snapper Rocks today it is excepted the Roxy Pro crown will be decided.

Five-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore is the only Australian left in the women's World Tour opener and must outwit reigning world titleholder Carissa Moore from the US to make the final.

Gilmore is determined to improve her current world No. 5 ranking at Snapper Rocks.

"I would love to win this one. Really love it," she said.

On Saturday, organisers called a lay-day for the third straight day, further postponing the event.

Organisers made the call early Saturday morning, setting the scene for a possible wrap up to the women's event Sunday.

When the women's event does resume Gilmore will take on American Carissa Moore in a blockbuster semi-final.

South Africa's Bianca Buitendag and American Lakey Peterson are the other semi-finalists.

The men's competition, which has been on hold since Monday, is up to round three with the big trio of Fanning, Parkinson and Kelly Slater all still alive in the competition.

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Griffin to be patient with halves

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BRONCOS coach Anthony Griffin says Josh Hoffman showed promising signs at five-eighth, but admits Brisbane must finetune their ­attack ahead of Friday night's derby clash against the Cowboys.

Griffin's scrumbase gamble paid its first dividend at ANZ Stadium, with new halves pairing Hoffman and Ben Hunt ­piloting Brisbane to an 18-12 defeat of the Bulldogs.

But while the Broncos built their victory on courage, the jury remains out on whether a Hoffman-Hunt scrumbase ­alliance can transform Brisbane into a premiership force.

Hunt started well but he struggled to assert control in the second half and his kicking radar was at times awry.

Ben Hunt and Josh Hoffman (left) celebrate victory against the Bulldogs. Source: Getty Images

Hoffman, meanwhile, showed some nice touches in attack and defended stoutly, but has yet to convince he has the vision to adequately service a fleet-footed backline.

It would be harsh to write off the combination after an 80-minute showing and Griffin is confident Hoffman will be better for his five-eighth debut at Homebush.

"All of us in attack, clearly we have some work to do," Griffin said.

"I thought Josh did a good job. He defended great, he made some in-roads at times and he will build off that. It's round one and our attack was never going to be great.

"We weren't coming off much (after a heavy trial loss in New Zealand), so if you speak to any coach, round one is about getting into the competition and being as strong as you can be.

"I thought we did that and we'll start working on the other stuff. We are happy with the way we hung in there under pressure."

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Big Mal: Hats off to Anthony Griffin

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BRISBANE coach Anthony Griffin has every reason to feel satisfied by the Broncos' performance on Friday night.

Most importantly, he has every reason to be happy with his own performance, because it was very obvious that Brisbane's preparation was the major difference between them and the Bulldogs at ANZ Stadium.

It was also clear from the opening moments that the Broncos were ready for this match, and the Bulldogs looked like they were waiting for something to happen.

Brisbane's Ben Barba waves to the Brisbane fans after the Canterbury Bulldogs and Brisbane Broncos Round 1 rugby league game at ANZ Stadium, Sydney. Pic Brett Costello Source: News Corp Australia

Brisbane were focused, ­energetic and enthusiastic.

In any game of rugby league, or any sport for that matter, that hunger and desire are such key ingredients for success. And as we saw on Friday's night's game, this principle is especially applicable this year because of the new rules and interpretations around the rucks.

The speed of the play-the-balls means that the team with the greater hunger and intensity in the early stages can easily get the jump on an opponent if they are not matched with similar attitudes.

That is what we saw from the Bulldogs. While Brisbane were full of purpose, the Dogs conceded penalties, dropped balls, and their collisions in attack and defence weren't aggressive enough.

Due to that lack of hunger from the Dogs, it resulted in Brisbane being able to dictate terms, dominate field position and possession.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 07: Broncos wing Lachlan Maranta breaks away from Frank Pritchard during the round one NRL match between the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and the Brisbane Broncos at ANZ Stadium. Source: Getty Images

The Dogs were fatigutiring fast and making the job even tougher on themselves.

By the time the Dogs found the aggression and purpose needed in their play and tried to mount a challenge, they found they didn't have the strike power or legs to break Brisbane's line.

They were playing on tired legs and had no X-factor player such as a Ben Barba, in their side who can win a game by individual brilliance.

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It will be interesting to see over the next couple of weeks, as the teams improve their match fitness, whether this trend continues. But certainly the Broncos showed that hunger and enthusiasm from the opening whistle.

They exploited the speed of the ruck and that, allowing them to dominate the Dogs who had to play catch-up.

It sounds like such a simple issue – being switched on and ready to play – but it can often be a tricky one to get right, especially when everyone expects you to win.

Like the Roosters on Thursday night, the Dogs looked like a team that felt comfortable in the knowledge that they just had to turn up on their home ground turf and go through the motions to get the result.

The Rabbitohs and the Broncos looked like they knew they would have to fight for every inch, and were ready to do so.

Anthony Griffin's preparation was spot-on.

The Broncos were hungry and had enough left in the tank to fend off the inevitable late challenge.

Ben Hunt kicks ahead for the Broncos as James Graham defends during the round one NRL match between the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and the Brisbane Broncos at ANZ Stadium. Source: Getty Images

Griffin also pulled the right rein with his use of Ben Barba, who looked sharp and dangerous playing a second five-eighth role that allowed Josh Hoffman to ball-run.

He went for more mobility in his starting pack, which added to Brisbane's ability to tire the Dogs defenders on the back of the ruck speed, but he then got great impact from the likes of Martin Kennedy coming off the bench.

A lot of things went right, but the coach will also know there are a lot of areas to work on that the Bulldogs simplyweren't good enough to exploit.

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Brisbane's kicking game, as an example, was weak improving markedly, particularly against the good teams such as North Queensland next week.

But certainly there were plenty of positives to build on too.

If they can stay hungry, this Brisbane team will win more games than it loses.

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US sit-skier 'stable' after serious crash

A US sit-skier is reportedly stable and conscious in hospital after a serious crash during Sochi's Paralympic Games.

Tyler Walker fell heavily during the men's sitting downhill competition at Rosa Khutor Alpine Centre on Saturday and had to be airlifted from the slopes.

The 27-year-old cartwheeled several times at high speed and lay motionless on the snow before receiving attention from medical staff.

"#TeamUSA's Tyler Walker (@tbone_walker) is stable and conscious after crash in men's downhill (sitting) at #Paralympics," US Paralympics tweeted.

Competition was stopped several times as nine athletes of the men's 22-person sitting class crashed out.

They use a bucket-like seat on a mono ski, using outriggers to steer, and can race at speeds of up to 100km/h.

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Why GI is primed for best year yet

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SHAUN Kenny-Dowall is listed at 194cm and 102kg — it's just that he seemed much smaller and lighter when Greg Inglis ran at him on Thursday night.

Inglis scored South Sydney's first try of 2014, despite the efforts of Kenny-Dowall and the smaller Mitchell Pearce to halt the Rabbitohs No.1 at close range, and opened with a hat-trick an NRL season which he is capable of making his own like none before.

At 27, Inglis is in the prime of his career, and importantly, injury-free after he played the last six club games of 2013 and the subsequent World Cup campaign with a sore knee.

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His achievements are already towering: 115 tries from 178 NRL games and 21 games for Queensland which have made him Origin's greatest try-scorer, with 15.

His 22 tries from 28 Tests leave him behind only Darren Lockyer (35 tries), Ken Irvine (33) and two Immortals Reg Gasnier (28) and Bob Fulton (25) on the list of Australian tryscorers.

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But to look at how much Inglis is capable of adding to his standing in the game, it's instructive to look at what Lockyer and Andrew Johns did in the years after they turned 27.

At 27, Lockyer was moved to five-eighth by Wayne Bennett while Queensland lost the Origin series and the Broncos were out of the 2004 finals in straight sets — it was the year Brisbane consented to a finals game being given away to Townsville — he captained Australia to a 40-point Tri-Nations final win over Great Britain.

Two years later, Lockyer became the first man since Allan Langer in 1998 to captain sides to club, Origin and international titles.

Johns turned 27 in 2001, the year in which the Knights won the premiership with their halfback and captain the Churchill Medallist, later being awarded the Golden Boot.

The following year, Johns became captain of successful NSW and Australian sides, winning the Dally M player of the year honour before Newcastle's finals run ended when he was diagnosed with a broken bone in his back.

So in 2014, there is plenty of upside still in Inglis.

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When he first arrived in 2011 at Souths, from Melbourne via an aborted dalliance with Brisbane, Inglis raised eyebrows with his weight.

But he has felt at home at Souths to the point that he been willing to voice his opinions as a member of the leadership group.

Last year, Inglis, a man of few words publicly, was willing to be critical within Souths' dressingroom walls of the amount of promotional work Sam Burgess did before a game two weeks before the finals.

It's hard to imagine Inglis, reserved even among teammates early in his time at the Storm, doing so much earlier in his career.

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A committed Inglis is a blue-chip asset for an NRL club, as we saw with his determination to make the fullback position his own last year with 14 tries in 20 club games, with 121 tackle busts, the most by an NRL player last year.

"It looks like he's playing in the under-sevens at times," said Souths teammate John Sutton of the imposing sight which Inglis presents when fully fit and well deployed.

Roosters skipper Anthony Minichiello wrestled with the idea of how to stop Inglis in full flight with more success than his side had done.

"You try and tackle up top and it's so hard (to halt him) — our tackling wasn't up to scratch,'' he said.

Fox Sports analyst Matt Johns said last year Souths had too great a reliance in attack on Inglis and he liked the move of Dylan Walker to five-eighth, with Sutton to lock.

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Time for JT to take control: Locky

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TONIGHT, a new chapter begins for Johnathan Thurston.

It is the stage where Thurston must make the crucial, almost imperceptible, leap from naturally gifted, instinctive matchwinner to calculated veteran who wins football games with cool-headed control.

His ability to make that transition will largely determine whether the Cowboys finally clinch the maiden premiership that has eluded them for 19 seasons.

North Queensland will be a fascinating case study this season.

I worked alongside their former coach Neil Henry during State of Origin campaigns and Neil's contribution to the club should not be undersold.

But under new coach Paul Green, who cut his teeth as an assistant to Wayne Bennett while I was at the Broncos, the Cowboys have the bedrock to do something special in this competition.

Now it is up to Thurston, my old Test and Origin partner in crime, to bring a potential masterpiece together.

Like many great players before him, JT has reached the age where he must confront his NRL mortality.

Johnathan Thurston. Picture: Fiona Harding Source: News Limited

In April, he will turn 31. By no means is he on his last legs, but he must now be consistently dominant in a different way.

We know JT can win games almost single-handedly. But this season, the challenge for Thurston is to take charge of games and shape outcomes with his experience and ability to direct play more so than just solo brilliance.

He has now played enough club and representative football to know how to move a football team around the paddock, like an NRL chessmaster putting the pieces in place, thinking two and three plays ahead. He has the class. Now it is about precision control.

Deep down JT will know time is running out for him to deliver a title to North Queensland.

I began to feel that at the Broncos and it was only in my twilight years that I began to truly appreciate how sweet it is to win a premiership.

Before I had reached my mid-20s, I had won three premierships in five years at the Broncos.

I was reared in an environment where success was a given, and it was easy to be guilty of taking that culture for granted.

JT will understand my point on that. He won a premiership at the Bulldogs as a rookie in 2004, but he hasn't been back to the big dance since 2005.

That decade-long hiatus will have stoked his competitive fire.

He can get the Cowboys to a grand final this season by realising he has acquired the knowledge and experience to take the club where it yearns to go.

I am definitely noticing a greater maturity in Thurston's play.

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Having played alongside JT in some huge games, I want him to know just how dominant he can, and should, be.

People might be surprised to hear this, but in the heat of battle, Johnno is such a nice guy he doesn't like to be a dictatorial type of playmaker.

At heart, he doesn't like to impose himself.

When I played with him, out of respect he was mindful of overcalling me and because he is such a fantastic team man he would rather work with his teammates than boss them for a result.

But this year, I would urge Thurston to take full control. It is time for him to be really authoritative. His teammates won't see him as a dictator.

They will respect his confidence in being able to close a game out by making decisions not solely because he is talented, but because he has earned the right.

He now has undisputed credibility and status in the game. If JT wants to take control, I know his Cowboys teammates will buy into what he wants to do.

A key will be Thurston's relationship with his new coach.

It's important for the Cowboys that JT and Green get on well and respect one another, because if they forge a strong player-coach relationship, they won't want to let each other down.

I enjoyed that with Wayne Bennett at the Broncos, and it becomes a powerful dynamic.

Knowing Green, he will do a good job in Townsville. He is very strategic, but importantly he possesses a good work ethic.

There will be periods where it's challenging, and Paul will scale a natural learning curve, but they have the roster to be a top-four side.

There are still some question marks. Can the Cowboys replace Matt Bowen at fullback? Is Ray Thompson the answer at hooker? Lachlan Coote's injury will hurt them, but there's not many reasons they can't win it.

North Queensland have the choir. They just need their conductor, Thurston, to call the right tunes.

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Daly’s brother joins the Nitro Circus

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DALY Cherry-Evans will only reveal this yarn on the proviso no one tells 'Tooves'.

After all, given how the Manly coach reacts to a dropped ball at training, imagine knowing his marquee halfback, a Dally M favourite no less, was almost killed on a halfpipe over summer?

"Actually, it wasn't that bad,'' Cherry-Evans laughs, chatting now with T he Daily Telegraph at a Manly skate park. "Back home in Mackay, we've got a big wooden halfpipe in the backyard, belongs to my younger brother.

"So when I went home over Christmas, I had a crack. Got on one of those little scooters and . . . yeah."

Darcy Cherry-Evans (R) with famous brother Daly. Source: News Limited

Less than a metre away, little brother Darcy, 17, is shaking his head.

"I tried to tell him what to do,'' he grins. "But Daly, he wouldn't listen.

"He came down flat on his back but thankfully there was no real damage done. Just took the wind out of him."

Darcy Cherry-Evans performs tricks in Manly. Source: News Limited

While he may not have the profile of his Manly, Maroons and Kangaroo sibling, Darcy Cherry-Evans - the youngest of five kids - is now looking to make his own leap to professional sports, as a scooter rider.

Already the Queensland teen is doing well enough to have been spotted by talent scouts for Nitro Circus, the famed, travelling stunt show led by American motorsports daredevil Travis Patrana.

Darcy Cherry-Evans. Source: News Limited

"And that would be great to be a part of,'' the Mackay rider says. "Obviously it's tough; a couple of years ago I broke my ankle fairly badly - tried a front flip onto the ramp and, instead, came down on my ankle, snapping it. But it's what I want to do."

With a show in Brisbane on May 15, the younger DCE has been invited to trial for a place among the Nitro acrobatic stars riding motorcycles, BMX bikes, skateboards, scooters, even roller blades.

"Eventually, my goal is to become professional and make a living from riding the scooter,'' Darcy continues. "I've put in a lot of effort to get this far but we'll see what happens in May and take it from there."

Darcy Cherry-Evans (top) and famous brother Daly. Source: News Limited

And as for big brother?

"Um, no more scooters,'' he smiles. "There was a time, growing up, where I was right into the BMX bikes, the skateboards and stuff, before rugby league eventually took over.

"But now, I'm just really proud of Darcy and what he's doing. I know first hand it's a lot harder than it looks."

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Reynolds back in Origin frame

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GAME on ... With six runs, another pinpoint perfect kicking game and a shift in rules, Adam Reynolds reinjected himself into the Origin debate.

There was Andrew Johns saying before Thursday night's game that Reynolds needed to run the ball more. Matthew Johns wrote the same earlier, in the Telegraph. Two great football judges in agreement.

Reynolds is young but proud of his performance. He looks to improve.

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He had a quiet end to last season and no doubt heard the opinions over the summer, brought into sharp focus on Thursday when the Rabbitohs met the premiers.

And so he ran.

And in doing so he revealed a glimpse of a game that threatens to change all over again, as the rules have an impact on the footy being played.

Roosters coach Trent Robinson would not be surprised.

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South Sydney's Adam Reynolds tackled by Rooster's Jared Waerea-Hargraves. Pic Gregg Porteous Source: News Corp Australia

On Wednesday's NRL360 Robinson spoke about the new rules, and the stress they will put on defence. There are fewer men in the tackle, meaning more offloads. More offloads mean more running football, more opportunities. Scores, Robinson believed, would stretch as one team became dominant.

What nobody could see coming — and you can throw Robinson in with this, despite his crystal ball — was the fatigue in the Roosters defence once the Rabbitohs began establishing dominance.

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The Roosters were ragged.

How permanent it is remains to be seen, but it appears the new rules have reintroduced a fatigue factor to the defence that has long been missing, and was long missed.

As Reynolds showed, it brought the running halfback back into the game.

While he could not have been sure this would be the impact, it appears Reynolds benefited because had already decided he was going to run.

He'd listened to the voices and knew the backdrop to the story, which provided the substance to Thursday's game.

Before this game last year Laurie Daley publicly declared nothing short of a leg falling off would stop Mitch Pearce being his Origin halfback. Right or left, it didn't matter.

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It outraged Souths fans, who can generate a healthy appetite for such things.

Reynolds was the Dally M Rookie of the Year. He was a pure halfback. And the Blues had been trialling halfbacks for years without real success.

Daley sought to calm the anxiety created by that third point by declaring Pearce's selection early.

But as Reynolds kept producing and the Bunnies jousted with the Roosters at the top of the table, a rearguard support grew for Reynolds. It grew even more when the Blues lost the second game, and again when they lost the series.

Pearce returned to the Roosters as the Origin whipping boy, and many vocal judges — I wouldn't call them sound — declared the debate now over. Reynolds should be Origin halfback in 2014.

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Then came the finals, and Pearce's steady guiding of the Roosters to the premiership and Reynolds' uncharacteristic quietness as the Rabbitohs fell short. Heaven forbid, could the vocal judges be wrong?

Reynolds ran just once in the preliminary final against Manly and, failing to provide a threat equal to his kicking game, was rendered ineffective. Maybe Pearce was the right choice all the time.

Now, it turns again. Reynolds ran six times for 41m on Thursday. Pearce once for 7m.

Expect that to change, too.

Andrew Demetriou holds press conference to announce his stepping down as AFL CEO. Source: News Corp Australia

RETIRING JUST AS REAL CONTENDER EMERGES

ANDREW Demetriou quit just when the fight was about to begin.

Demetriou resigned as the heavyweight champion of Australian sport just as a new contender arrived in the rankings.

NRL boss Dave Smith's performance this past fortnight has underlined his improvement in the 12 months since his first awkward speech at last year's season launch — "Benji Barba", anyone?

This season's speech was first class, and this week's punishment of Cronulla and coach Shane Flanagan was as tough as the current, anaemic NRL rules allow.

Demetriou has exercised a similarly firm hand, and leaves just as the NRL appears to have found a worthy opponent.

Under Demetriou, the AFL stole a long march on the NRL and is years ahead in governance and vision. Such was the quality of his leadership he has put systems in place that will see AFL hardly miss a beat once the credits start to roll on his career.

The NRL is playing catch-up and, while "vision" remains a dirty word in the NRL ever since John Ribot left the phrase dead and partly decomposed, the fruits of what Smith is putting in place are starting to be seen after he was widely criticised last year for being too invisible.

Finally, there is the smell of momentum about the NRL.

Watch for Demetriou to pop up in politics at Victoria's state election later this year, before going on to become, oh, maybe Victorian premier.

Foxtel host Matt Shirvington Source: Supplied

JUST ANSWER THE QUESTION: MATT SHIRVINGTON

Host of Shirvo's Super Saturday, Fox Sports 1, today from 11am

All those players, all those games they've played, and they've named it Shirvo's Super Saturday.

Yes, Beaver (Steve Menzies) has played 500 games, Princey (Scott Prince) has played 300, tomorrow we've got Loz (Laurie Daley) and Kevvie Walters, one of the greatest premiership winners, and they've named it after me. Not sure why.

Surely one of them's asked why it's not their name on the show?

(Laughs) Like Princey's Super Saturday? No, but I don't know what they're saying behind my back. But we have got five games and 11 hours of NRL to get through, so it's an amazing package.

You're still working with the Dragons as sprint coach?

My job's not to just improve their top speed. It's the transition, it's being able to be as fast as you can whether it's minute one or the 70th minute.

Is there anyone in the NRL who might get you now?

The young guys tend to be a bit quicker because they haven't put on the weight yet. I love watching (Shaun) Johnson move, (Marika) Koroibete is quick, (Michael) Jennings at the moment.

Have you got them covered?

I'm going to say yes. I haven't done a 40m test for a while but the last time I was still pretty fast.

Jason Little and Tim Horan, Wallaby greats. pic Mark Evans Source: News Corp Australia

CHILL PILLS
Tim Horan knows all about knee injuries, and so when David Pocock came out of his second knee surgery in as many years he was there at the hospital, delivering a book about attitude.

Umpires Aleem Dar and HDPK Dharmasena speak to Michael Clarke. Source: Getty Images

ANGRY PILLS

Claims of ball tampering throughout the series in South Africa marred what was otherwise a great contest. Both sides are too good for that.

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A GOOD WEEK FOR

ON knees that are nothing more than re-treads, but with a heart that pumps like a steam train, it was fitting Ryan Harris ended Australia's successful summer with the final two wickets to beat South Africa. Harris showed selectors what they can do with their "rotation policy", which should be consigned as nothing more than a dark chapter in cricket's history.

Harris knew what the selectors didn't; you can't measure heart.

A ROUGH WEEK FOR

Ange Postecoglou tried to put a positive spin on Australia's 4-3 loss to Ecuador after the Socceroos led 3-0 at half-time. And we're trying just has hard for him. He will take a young side to the World Cup and, as such, young legs. It revives memories of Guus Hiddink's strategy in 2006, when the Socceroos were fitter and ran harder than anybody, with outstanding success. Still, a 3-0 lead at half-time? Ouch.

DON'T MISS

AMAZINGLY, Alessandro Del Piero is the only Sydney FC player who has scored in previous derbys against Western Sydney. Keep an eye on ADP tonight (Fox Sports 3, 7.30pm), fresh off a game of beach footy with the Bondi Rescue crew.

A loss for either side will leave them in need of mouth-to-mouth.

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Walters reported for rough conduct

Michael Walters has been reported for rough conduct in Fremantle's practice match against West Coast. Source: Michael Dodge / Getty Images

FREMANTLE forward Michael Walters faces an anxious wait ahead of his season-opening blockbuster with Collingwood next Friday after he was reported in Thursday's practice match against West Coast.

Walters, 23, was booked deep into the final quarter for rough conduct in that he crashed with high contact into Eagles utility Brant Colledge.

The charge was laid by controlling field umpires and will be sent direct to the AFL Match Review Panel.

The panel will review limited video or television footage of the incident with the match not televised.

Walters grabs hold of Callum Sinclair at Patersons Stadium in Perth. Source: Getty Images

Walters, who booted 46 goals from his 21 games last season to sit on the borderline of All-Australian selection, is a critical small forward scoring avenue in Fremantle's hopes of a critical first-up victory over the Pies.

He was well beaten on Thursday opposed to born-again West Coast small defender Jamie Bennell as well as being shut down in stints from robust big man Mitch Brown.

Walters managed 13 possessions and only one goal and pressed well outside the forward 50m arc for more than half of his disposals.

Dockers coach Ross Lyon declared after the 19-point loss that star midfielder Nat Fyfe and lively small forward Hayden Ballantyne will play against the Pies, despite missing the final dress rehearsal outing of the pre-season campaign.

Fyfe missed with a slight knee complaint, while Ballantyne is nursing a cork in his thigh.

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Malcolm Conn’s player rankings

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AFTER Australia's dramatic 2-1 victory, Malcolm Conn runs the rule over the players from both teams who took part in the series with a mark out of 10.

AUSTRALIA

David Warner: 9 — The leading run scorer in the Ashes has taken his game to new heights, becoming the first player to make 500 runs in a three-Test series in South Africa.

Mitchell Johnson was fast and aggressive apart from on the dead pitch in the second Test. Source: Getty Images

Mitchell Johnson: 9 — Another outstanding series with 22 wickets at 17 apiece. Dennis Lillee is the only Australian fast bowler to claim more wickets in a three-Test series.

Steve Smith: 7 — Another strong series with the bat, continuing his important development as an increasingly consistent middle order batsman for Australia.

Michael Clarke: 7 — Played one of his best and bravest innings to set up the decisive last Test with an unbeaten 161 after a quiet start to the series.

Ryan Harris: 6 — A slow start to the series but a big, brave finish in the last Test when it really counted.

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Chris Rogers: 5 — Another steady series after a slow start playing a foil for the rampant David Warner.

Alex Doolan: 5 — Struggled at times but showed enough to suggest he has a long term future at number three.

Nathan Lyon: 5 — Another steady series but failed to make any real impact.

Shane Watson: 5 — Returned for the last Test and played a supporting role with bat and ball.

James Pattinson: 5 — Justified his inclusion in the last Test after no first class cricket for seven months.

Shaun Marsh mixed the sublime with the dismal in the first two Tests before being left out of the third. Source: AP

Shaun Marsh: 5 — The enigma continues. A brilliant century in the first Test, a pair in the second, and dropped for the last.

Peter Siddle: 4 — Whole-hearted as always but lack penetration and was dropped for the last Test.

Brad Haddin: 3 — Solid with the gloves but disappointing with the bat after a big Ashes series.

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AB de Villiers: 8 — Another strong series with little support, justifying his ranking as the world's best batsman.

AB de Villiers showed why he's the top-ranked batsman in the world Source: AFP

Dale Steyn: 7 — The world's most complete fast bowler was decisive in the second Test but injured during the third.

Hashim Amla: 7 — Played one of the innings of the series in Port Elizabeth but lack consistency for such a fine player.

JP Duminy: 7 — A handy player with bat and ball, playing as the front line spinner for the final two Tests.

Faf du Plessis: 5 — Played some handy innings but failed to dominate at any stage.

Vernon Philander: 4 — Made some handy runs but was disappointing with the ball.

Morne Morke: 4 — Was constantly dangerous but must learn how to take wickets against quality opposition.

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Dean Elgar:4 — One tough innings but generally struggled at Test level.

Wayne Parnell: 3 — Broke down after two early wickets in Port Elizabeth.

Quinton de Kock: 3 — An obvious talent but still very raw for Test cricket.

Alviro Petersen: 3 — Remains unconvincing as a Test player when the heat is on.

Kyle Abbott: 3 — A steady seamer who may struggle to make an impact at Test level.

Ryan McLaren: 3 — Another steady seamer who has limited Test cricket ahead of him.

Graeme Smith: 2 — A disappointing series. Looks like he should have retired beforehand.

Rob in Peterson: 2 — Not up to Test cricket as a spinner.

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